Raimondo seeks better reading proficiency

PAWTUCKET — Saying she's "drawing a line in the sand," Governor Raimondo announced Wednesday that she wants to see three out of four third graders reading at grade level by 2025.

During a press conference at the Varieur Elementary School in Pawtucket, Raimondo said she is disappointed and frustrated that just over a third of Rhode Island's third graders are reading at grade level. Third grade is a critical turning point in a child's development. It's when students move from learning to read to reading to learn.

Varieur was chosen because over 60 percent of its third graders met reading expectations in 2015-2016, up 17 percentage points from the previous year.

Studies have show that children who fail to master reading are four times more likely to drop out of high school than those who do read at grade level. In 2015, only 37 percent of third graders scored proficient or higher on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), the state exam.

Rhode Island has been talking about raising student achievement for years. Raimondo said it's time to take a more business-like approach to boosting student performance.

"The difference between a dream and a goal is a deadline," she said. "Today we're setting a clear, bold goal."

Rather than put this goal squarely on the Department of Education, Raimondo is calling on a number of state agencies, from the health department to human services, to contribute to helping children learn how to read.

Raimondo is not throwing more money at this initiative, however. Rather, she is building on programs that have already been put in place, re-launching the Children's Cabinet, which will spearhead this effort, expanding quality pre-K programs, offering all-day kindergarten and improving the quality of childcare for low-income families.

"My last two budgets included record funding for K-12, more money for English language learners and more money for special education," she said. "We've taken the necessary steps. This is part of an overall effort to measure our performance and set public goals. We'll be rolling this out with other agencies."

Progress on reading cores will be tracked by the governor's performance management team. Raimondo will release additional goals in K-12 and higher education later this month.

State Education Commissioner Ken Wagner said the governor is asking agencies to look at the larger issues that affect a child's readiness to learn, including mental health, asthma, lead poisoning, quality childcare and adequate housing.

"The Children's Cabinet will bring a holistic perspective," he said. "She's making sure that with everything we do, we're thinking about housing, mental health, childcare in an integrated way."

Asked if the 2025 deadline is realistic, Wagner said yes: "If we can't do it by then, then we have bigger problems."

Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count, said Raimondo's new goal builds on the campaign for grade-level reading launched by her organization and the Rhode Island Foundation.

Pawtucket was singled out for applause Wednesday because the district has improved reading performance in several elementary schools, a change Supt. Patti DiCenso attributes to moving reading specialists from central office to the classroom and training teacher leaders at each elementary school.